Christmas in Lisbon

I never expected Lisbon to bring such a Christmasy atmosphere. At first, my purpose of going to Lisbon this December was more to spend time in a vibrant European city with a nice weather than going on Christmas markets. Of course, Lisbon isn’t like Vienna or other cities famous for their Christmas markets so if you’re looking for a Christmas market destination, Lisbon is probably not the best choice. Still, if you’re there during this period of the year, here’s what you can do.

Christmas markets in Lisbon

The main squares like Praça do Comércio are decorated with giant Christmas trees and feature small yet nice Christmas markets. There are concerts in churches. You can get the program online.

Christmas shopping in Lisbon

Lisbon is a city of shopping such as other main European cities. You can find nice gift shops and original creations like this tee-shirt from Typographia, a collective of young and creative people collaborating with local designers and printers. Their tee-shirts are really cool and you can find them only in Portugal.

Christmas sweets in Lisbon

Lisbon is famous for their pastries. The most famous one being the Pastel de Nata. During Christmas, the pastries are making special sweets. You can find bakeries called confeitaria or pastelaria everywhere in the city.

If you want to combine history with your sweets I recommend you to go the confeitaria nacional, founded in 1829.

All these places are easy to find. The best way to enjoy them is to walk in the city center and get filled with the Christmas spirit.